Aviators

Aviators

I have posted about my own aviation journey. The 20th of May is an outstanding day for aviators. It was on the 20th of May, 1927, that Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, bound for Paris. It was also on the 20th of May, but in 1932,...
Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon

On the 19th of May, 1499, Catherine of Aragon was married by proxy to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Catherine was 13 and Arthur was 12. In my work in progress, the fifth book of the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, King Louis XIII of France is married by proxy to Anne of...
Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe

On the 18th of May, 1593, following the interrogation of Thomas Kyd, an arrest warrant for the playwright Christopher Marlowe was issued. Marlowe presented himself to the Privy Council the following day, but was told that there was no meeting and that he should...
Dambusters

Dambusters

The raid on German dams by 617 Squadron took place on the night of 16th/17th of May, 1943. In the annals of World War II history, few operations capture the imagination quite like the audacious raid on German dams by the Royal Air Force’s 617 Squadron. Known as...
Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More

On the 16th of May, 1532, Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor of England. The story is that of “A Man for All Seasons”, a play which Claire and I have seen twice at the Theatre Royal Bath. On both occasions, several years apart, Martin Shaw played the lead...